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Sony SLV-R5 loses control track

R

Ron

Jan 1, 1970
0
This VCR keeps losing the contol track. At first I thought that
perhaps the type of tape I was using kept gumming up the control
head, so I kept scrubbing the head, and each time the SLV-R5
worked fine after for a few weeks.
However, last time I didn't unplug the VCR while I was cleaning
the control head and the cleaning DIDN'T solve the problem, so
I decided to simply unplug the VCR for a minute - and the unit
worked fine as soon as it was plugged in again.
Anyone come across that particular problem on this VCR - where
there is some sort of electrical reason / memory glitch that needs
to be re-set?
Thanks for any feedback, Ron
 
L

LASERandDVDfan

Jan 1, 1970
0
Did you try to clean the pinch roller?

Also, if the problem persists, you may have to check the electrolytics on the
secondary side of the power supply.

A lot of Sony VCRs had Elna LongLife capacitors installed, and they had
terrible problems with leakage. Sometimes, a power supply fault can cause all
sorts of weird things like problems with playing at a single tap speed. -
Reinhart
 
M

Mark D. Zacharias

Jan 1, 1970
0
Also, did you check for proper operation of the 1/2 load arm assembly? This
arm carries the tape past the audio / control head while loading, and must
retract while unloading. It's a frequent source of (lubrication) problems.

Mark Z.
 
L

LASERandDVDfan

Jan 1, 1970
0
Also, did you check for proper operation of the 1/2 load arm assembly? This
arm carries the tape past the audio / control head while loading, and must
retract while unloading. It's a frequent source of (lubrication) problems.

I meant to say capstan, not pinch roller.

Yep, this is another thing that should be checked, but I didn't think of that
when writing my post for some reason or another.

Yet another possibility is to check whether or not the tape travels across the
A/C headstack straight and true, assuming the 1/2 load advance arm is
functioning.

If not, then the pinch roller bearings could be worn, the pinch roller arm
could be warped, or the capstan dirty. - Reinhart
 
K

Kurtis Bahr

Jan 1, 1970
0
I would also check the capstan motor. What you can do is remove the top.
Put the unit in play and press on the capstan bearing housing to push it
away from the rubber roller. If this causes any glitch in the capstan
pulling the tape smoothly then this is bad, the original version tends to
warp over time. The original had a copper colored cap on top and the
improved version had a silver/chrome colored cap on top.

If this is OK then I'd rebuild the power supply by replacing all the
Electroyltics in the power supply.

The swing arm issue is noticed as the arm will not swing back to unload the
tape as it gets sticks and then the tape gets caught in the player.

Kurtis
 
R

Ron

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thanks for everyone's input. I have arleady corrected all the known
problem areas of the SLV-R5 (swing arm, power supply caps, capstan
motor...) some years ago, and the VCR does otherwise perform flawlessly.

The tape parthway doesn't seem to be an issue since playback is perfect
with all previously recorded tapes. As mentioned, only occasionally,
when taping a program, the unit all of a sudden doesn't record the control
track, so that particular tape cannot be played back properly.

Cleaning the control head makes no difference, but as I just found out,
disconnecting the power cord for a few seconds solves the problem
for several weeks, then the same thing happens again.

I was just curious if this particular problem was a known issue with this
VCR with a know fix, or if it just happens to be a random problem.
Thanks again, Ron
 
K

Kurtis Bahr

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have not ran into this before repairing R5's where a power supply
capacitor replacement did not fix it. Did you use high temp, low ESR,
switching power supply caps?

Kurtis
 
R

Ron

Jan 1, 1970
0
Kurtis Bahr said:
I have not ran into this before repairing R5's where a power supply
capacitor replacement did not fix it. Did you use high temp, low ESR,
switching power supply caps?

Kurtis
-
They were definitely105 deg, and I believe Panasonic caps ( I would have
to take a look again). In addition, I actually installed a small 1" CPU fan
on the bottom of the VCR to blow air into the power supply to keep things
cooler.
Not sure though why a faulty power supply could be the cause:
Playback is always fine. Recording is fine for several weeks.
Then one day - playing back a recorded program - no control track.
Previously recorded tapes still play ok. A quick power disconnect,
and everything is perfect again...
I may still double-check the power supply, and will post the details if that
turns out to be the problem. Thanks again, Ron
 
S

Stephen Sank

Jan 1, 1970
0
Bad lytic caps aren't limited to the power supply.

--
Stephen Sank, Owner & Ribbon Mic Restorer
Talking Dog Transducer Company
http://stephensank.com
5517 Carmelita Drive N.E.
Albuquerque, New Mexico [87111]
505-332-0336
Auth. Nakamichi & McIntosh servicer
Payments preferred through Paypal.com
 
M

Mark D. Zacharias

Jan 1, 1970
0
Yeah, my SLV-R5 had them on the HI-FI board.

Mark Z.

--
Please reply only to Group. I regret this is necessary. Viruses and spam
have rendered my regular e-mail address useless.


Stephen Sank said:
Bad lytic caps aren't limited to the power supply.

--
Stephen Sank, Owner & Ribbon Mic Restorer
Talking Dog Transducer Company
http://stephensank.com
5517 Carmelita Drive N.E.
Albuquerque, New Mexico [87111]
505-332-0336
Auth. Nakamichi & McIntosh servicer
Payments preferred through Paypal.com
-
They were definitely105 deg, and I believe Panasonic caps ( I would have
to take a look again). In addition, I actually installed a small 1" CPU fan
on the bottom of the VCR to blow air into the power supply to keep things
cooler.
Not sure though why a faulty power supply could be the cause:
Playback is always fine. Recording is fine for several weeks.
Then one day - playing back a recorded program - no control track.
Previously recorded tapes still play ok. A quick power disconnect,
and everything is perfect again...
I may still double-check the power supply, and will post the details if that
turns out to be the problem. Thanks again, Ron
 
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